


On the Run

by ZoneRobotnik



Series: Filling the Blanks [1]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: He's a scientist testing a theory but the warning is there anyway, Suicide Attempt, Wrongful Imprisonment, house arrest, this kid can't catch a break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24795601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoneRobotnik/pseuds/ZoneRobotnik
Summary: In the aftermath of the snowstorm, Varian is left alone in the ruined Old Corona, but the King is making sure he is closely watched.
Relationships: Quirin & Varian (Disney)
Series: Filling the Blanks [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801066
Comments: 51
Kudos: 141





	On the Run

**Author's Note:**

> Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (c) Disney

Varian, son of Quirin of Old Corona had never been good at the whole “children should be seen and not heard” thing. In fact, you _could_ say that his skills lay in the opposite direction, to be _heard_ but not _seen_. He’d always been sneaky, ever since he was a child. He excelled in hiding games with the other kids – that is, until they decided they didn’t like him because he always made messes.  
  
This was just another hiding game, only…on a more dangerous level.  
  
In the aftermath of the storm, the people of Old Corona decided enough was enough and evacuated. No one bothered to check on him. They assumed he’d get out with his dad, once they finished packing up for the evacuation.  
  
No one knew of what happened to his father. He made sure of that before this all happened just by the fact that he set up booby-traps to try to catch pests and people only talked to his father outside. And, besides, they doubted if he even actually told the King of their problem.  
  
After all, why didn’t help come if the King knew?  
  
Varian was tempted to tell them the truth, that the King didn’t care. That he, and his daughter, had sacrificed Old Corona to the rocks. It was a tempting thought, uniting the people that had scorned and shunned him for years under the banner of revenge and leading them to attack. But, he’d chosen not to. There was too much of a possibility that their loyalty to the crown was too strong and they’d turn him in.  
  
Turn him in for an attack on Princess Rapunzel he _didn’t do_.  
  
A movement to his left caught his attention and he narrowly avoided a sword slicing at him before he fled through the enormous black rock forest that had spouted up in front of his home. He could hear footsteps on all sides.  
  
They didn’t intend to kill him, he knew. He’d been caught by these people twice now and each time he’d had a sword held at his neck and told, with cold voices, to _stay away from Corona_.  
  
They lurked around the edge of Old Corona, watching for him. They’d appeared shortly after the storm, after his visit to Corona to beg Rapunzel for help – help she’d refused to give, help that she’d promised and never gave.  
  
Another broken promise. He was starting to have a violent reaction to the word. Every time he’d heard the word “promise” from Rapunzel or any of her entourage, it’d been broken.  
  
Eugene, when he showed him his secret project under the town. He’d told Rapunzel and Cassandra, breaking his promise.  
  
Cassandra, at the science expo. How long did he slave away, doing her chores for her so she could get her chance to be a Royal Guard? And she couldn’t even spare him a few minutes to help him display his invention. And yet…he’d given her the element he created. He’d named it after her.  
  
God, he was pathetic.  
  
And then there was Rapunzel…she got him into investigating the rocks, she put the idea into his head, if it wasn’t for _her_ , maybe things would be different. And she called them _friends_? What a joke. A stupid…pathetic…joke.  
  
He was never a friend to any of them. They only talked to him if they needed him, even the great Flynn Rider dismissed him as just “that kid that almost killed us”. And now, _weeks_ after the storm, no one had bothered to come and check on him.  
  
He ducked low and avoided another sword, hissing in pain when he turned on his foot wrong, and ran from the village. They gave chase, of course, they always did. He knew it was only a matter of time before they caught him, unless he found a good hiding place.  
  
There! He escaped into the tunnels under the village, tunnels that he knew well but they, thankfully, didn’t. After listening to make sure they ran on, he finally let out a shaky breath and removed his boot to examine his foot. His ankle was slightly swollen – not a good sign. He put the boot back on and carefully made his way through the tunnels to go back home.  
  
Unwanted, unloved, shunned, scorned, _traitor_ …one would question why he stuck around. He’d never belonged here, he knew that. His alchemy was dangerous, they said. Unusual. Suspicious. He’d grown up with whispers, and his father had pleaded with him many times to stop, but he never listened. The only time he’d listened was when he had found his mother’s old blueprints and was going make something really big and he’d been told “Stop” with a tone that shook him to his core.  
  
He was gone now. Gone because of the King’s inaction and indifference. Gone because of the Princess’s broken promises. Varian wrapped his arm around himself, the other arm going to the wall of the tunnel for support.  
  
He managed to make it home and, after making sure they weren’t _in his house_ , barricaded the door and used a good bomb to ensure there would be no unauthorized entry before he finally went to tend to his wounded leg.  
  
It wasn’t broken, he figured out. Just twisted. It would heal, he just had to stay off it for a few hours. He sighed and sat down at his desk to try to figure out a new formula to try. Behind him, his father was covered up by a large cloth, an attempt to calm his emotions enough to focus.  
  
\--  
  
Getting food was difficult. The crops in the field had all been either harvested and taken by the evacuees or weren’t ripe enough to eat without getting very, very sick. Going to the woods was risky, because _they_ were there, and if he showed _any_ signs of…but, he had to take the chance. His cupboards were empty.  
  
He picked up a basket and removed the goo around his door to open it before he headed out, walking towards the woods. Surely, they’d see the basket and just assume he was getting food. They hadn’t _killed_ him yet, so they should be fine with him not _starving_ , right?  
  
He slowly made his way through the black rock forest and out towards the rest of the town, gripping the basket tightly. What if they were just waiting for him to starve? To turn himself in? But, if they really believed that he attacked her, they surely would’ve arrested him already. No, that was a lie and they _knew_ it, but it kept him from going to anyone for help. He reached the end of town and took a deep breath before he walked into the woods.  
  
Unarmed, with only a basket, he thought that he couldn’t be perceived as any kind of threat. He went to the bushes and picked berries he knew were safe, pulled apples from trees, and then went to the river to find any fish that got caught in the black rocks.  
  
When he got there, he knelt to pick up a fish that got caught and, as it wriggled in his gloved hand, breathing its last breaths, he felt the now-familiar feeling of metal at his neck.  
  
“You aren’t supposed to be out of town.”  
  
He sighed. “Do you want me _starve_ to death?” He looked over his shoulder at the man, trying to fight the fear that threatened to make his voice shake. “I’m out of food.”  
  
There was a long, tense moment before the blade was removed and he heard it be sheathed again. “Very well.”  
  
Varian looked back at the water and reached for another trapped fish, putting the first into his basket. ‘So, they don’t want me dead.’ He thought. ‘Why not? Is the King intending to make use of me in some way? Or is this guy just showing compassion because of my age?’ He finished loading fish into his basket and got up, heading back with the man following him silently, an ever-constant message: Stay where you’re told, don’t try to run off.  
  
He was finally left alone when he got to his house and he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, finally letting his fear show with a shuddering sob of relief as he slumped to the floor.  
  
He was trapped, and there was no way he could do anything about it. He sighed and got up to start making himself a meager meal.  
  
He didn’t know why he wasn’t just exiled or forced to evacuate. For _some_ reason, the King wanted him kept in this town, under constant watch. To use him? To force him to surrender himself? Or maybe just to make sure he didn’t try anything.  
  
Whatever the reason…it didn’t matter. He was trapped here.  
  
\--  
  
He had found a book in a chest a few days ago in his father’s room with a graphtych inside, and a key. In it, he found a scroll with strange writing.  
  
He also found a suit of armor and sword in the chest with a strange mark, but he wasn’t going to dwell on what his father’s past may have been. He focused his attention on what his intellect could solve, and that was this strange language. It almost looked similar to Ancient Saporian, which he’d studied just for the sake of knowledge one day after finding a book on it in a pawn shop. But, there were elements of the Ancient Coronan language there too and, with those two combined, he somehow managed to decipher the language.  
  
It talked about the Sundrop Flower, and the black rocks. The black rocks were some kind of ancient darkness that only the Sundrop Flower could defeat.  
  
Of course, he knew the stories. Princess Rapunzel had been taken because the Sundrop Flower was used to save her pregnant mother and, as a result, she was born with healing powers and long, blonde hair.  
  
He rolled up the scroll and locked it with the key and then put them both into his basket before heading for the door. He needed to get this to Rapunzel…maybe if he pretended to be going to get more food, they’d let him pass far enough to run for the Capital.  
  
He managed to get to the woods and then he started to walk through. A rustle of bushes, he knew they were there watching him. He clutched at the basket, feeling nervous. He stopped to pick apples, make them think he was just getting food, make them leave him alone. A snake suddenly appeared and he yelped, jerking his hand back as it tried to bite him. He fell on his butt and the basket fell over, the contents spilling out. Fear overtook him as the snake came down after him and he curled up to cover himself, the logical mind knowing it was stupid but the irrational mind thinking that if he couldn’t see it, it couldn’t see him.  
  
He heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and then the hissing stopped. He slowly moved his arms and saw one of _them_ kneeling in front of him, a gloved hand moving up to his face as if to check on his health before he seemed to remember himself and instead picked up the fallen graphtych. He watched silently as the key was entered and the scroll unrolled before the man let out a sigh, closed it, then pulled him to his feet and shoved it and the key against his chest.  
  
“If I catch you out here with this again, I’m _taking_ it.” He said firmly. “If your intent is to show this to Princess Rapunzel—”  
  
“Doesn’t she have a right to know?!” He jerked away from him. “If the Sundrop Flower can beat the rocks, why aren’t we using it?! Why are we still…why is my village like _this_?!” He threw a hand out to indicate the rocks all around them.  
  
“Go back home, Varian.” The man said firmly.  
  
Varian gripped the graphtych tightly and sighed, his shoulders slumping, before he put it back in his basket and picked it up. “…Yes, sir.” He said softly, heading back to home.  
  
For some reason, that guy in particular had been showing him compassion. Could he use it? Not likely. He probably just had a child of his own and didn’t want to hurt him. He gripped the basket tighter, fighting back tears that threatened to fall.  
  
\--  
  
It had been almost a month, and there was no sign of Rapunzel ever coming to check on him. He didn’t know why he even hoped for it anymore. He worked in his lap from morning to night, only going outside to find food for himself and Ruddiger, his only companion in this miserable place.  
  
He’d tried leaving the other direction before, heading for the wall. He’d packed his bag, he was ready to just leave the Kingdom, but he’d been intercepted and roughly forced back into town. That was it, then. They didn’t just want him away from Rapunzel, but contained. He rubbed at his arms, where the bruises from their hands still were from when he’d been grabbed by two of them and forced to walk back.  
  
His home had been made into his prison. He sighed and looked towards the graphtych before looking down glumly. How long would he live like this? How long would he be forgotten by those he’d stupidly called “friends”?  
  
Friends…he didn’t have any. Only Ruddiger cared about him beyond just what they could get from him. Only Ruddiger stood by him when he made mistakes.  
  
What had he done to deserve this imprisonment, this constant fear? Sure, they wouldn’t _kill_ him, but he’d tested one of their tempers too far the other day and ended up being badly hurt from it before the guy that had been showing some measure of kindness to him stopped it and took Varian back home to recover.  
  
He wasn’t allowed to leave. Not for the Capital and not for the rest of the world.  
  
He wasn’t allowed to die. He’d tested _that_ theory last week when he tried to starve himself and been roughly held down and force-fed as a result. His attempts to kill himself any other way had also been stopped, always with a firm scolding.  
  
Not allowed to leave, not allowed to die, kept alive in this prison for some unknown reason with the constant reminder of what he’d lost – what the King’s inaction had taken from him – sitting in his lab unable to be removed.  
  
His options were little. He sighed as he made his way through the woods, their ever-watchful eyes on him as he picked apples and berries and gathered fish from the river. It had become routine by now. A bitter, crushing routine. He reached the river and ran his hand through his hair, wondering when had his life became so miserable. Or maybe it always _had_ been. The sound of glass clinking caught his attention and he looked in surprise at a potion bottle stuck in the black rocks just like the fish.  
  
“Wow.” He walked closer to it, looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t being too closely watched, and then knelt down to pick it up. “What do we have here?” He mused, looking at it thoughtfully. He put it in his basket and then set to gathering stuck fish as usual before he headed back.  
  
The entire way back, he felt nervous, like they’d find out he found something that wasn’t food and take it from him. He reached his home with a rush of relief and shut the door behind him before he put his food down and took the bottle to his lab to study the contents.  
  
There was only a drop, but he managed to determine what it was. Some kind of mood-altering potion. A motion that affected _the mind_. He managed to recreate it to make more, because it gave him something to do, and then he looked towards the graphtych again.  
  
If he couldn’t go to _her_ …maybe _she_ could come to _him_. He got out a blank scroll and quill and, shooting the door a nervous look, started writing.  
  
[Rapunzel,  
I need your help now more than ever. I may  
have discovered the key to the rocks. Find  
the bronze GRAPHTYCH in my lab.  
But, be careful. They are watching and  
will do anything to stop you.  
  
Varian]  
  
He put the key into the scroll and rolled it up before he put the scroll in his basket and then went to get out a kite from his room.  
  
This was so risky. He didn’t know what they’d do if they found him sending this. Visiting wasn’t allowed, he doubted contact with anyone was. He packed himself a feeble lunch and stepped outside, running his hands through his hair as he walked over to a wide-open area. Before the black rocks appeared, children used to play in this field all the time. Now it was only him here.  
  
…Him and _them_ , that is. He picked up the kite and carefully tied the scroll onto it before he set it off, the wind blowing towards the Capital. ‘I hope this works.’ He thought, cutting the string and letting it fly off without him.  
  
He noticed one of them watching him and sighed, looking after his kite wistfully, looking every bit like a kid that just lost his kite from a faulty string. Then, acting dejected, he headed back home.  
  
He only hoped that it got to her. He had no way of finding out until she actually showed up. He decided to go back to his lab for now and see what he could do with that mood potion.  
  
‘I could theoretically turn it into a truth serum.’ He thought as he put the basket away. ‘It’s worth a shot. Might come in handy.’ He glanced at his father and sighed. ‘Maybe if I’d given one to him, he would’ve told people the truth of what’s going on here. Maybe we would’ve gotten help with evacuations, at least. _Something_ besides indifference.’  
  
\--  
  
Rapunzel came. He couldn’t believe it, she was here. He saw her coming and quickly hid before _they_ saw him anywhere near her, hiding under the town in the black rocks. He gasped when they started glowing around him and realized that she must be right above him. How he longed to reach out, to call to them, tell them he was here…  
  
But, he couldn’t. The memory of a blade against his neck was so prevalent, too sharp, and he stayed quiet, watching and slowly following along as black rocks here and there lit up with Rapunzel getting too close to them.  
  
It was…fascinating to watch. He made his way to where his house would be and carefully made his way out, watching as she entered his home. He stepped out to go in after her, but a hand roughly grabbed his shoulder and jerked him back and he was held still as one of _them_ went in after her, instead. He sighed as he was roughly pulled away and shoved behind a building.  
  
“Stay. Quiet.” The man hissed before he went to go join the others that were preparing to stop the Princess.  
  
“…Yes, sir.” He grumbled, Ruddiger running up to comfort him as he rubbed at his sore arm.  
  
He watched as Rapunzel, Eugene and Cassandra fled his home, the graphtych in hand, and he carefully followed them as they fled from the men, going into the woods. He kept to the trees and the bushes, not wanting to be spotted, the memory of a blade on his neck an ever-constant.  
  
Not allowed to leave.  
Not allowed to die.  
Too dangerous to let go.  
Too useful to get rid of.  
  
The King wanted to break him, that’s what he could figure. Break him so he didn’t try to contact Rapunzel but still have his brilliant mind for convenient use.  
  
Just like Rapunzel did to him.  
  
He swallowed back the rage and pain that fact hit him with and continued to follow them as the day turned into night, watching as the guards chased them to a tower and started to climb up after them. Black rocks were all over the place, and then he saw a long stream of glowing gold lower towards them. And then there was a flash of light so bright that he had to cover his eyes, which had adjusted to the darkness of night.  
  
Then more black rocks appeared. He gasped and narrowly avoided being hit by one as he found another hiding spot, watching as the black rocks started to attack the tower. Rapunzel narrowly avoided being hit by the rocks and then she and her companions jumped from the roof. Varian watched with fascination as her hair wrapped around them like a shield and then they safely landed on the ground, completely unharmed.  
  
‘Amazing!’ He thought, gripping the branch of the tree he was hiding behind. ‘Her hair is _incredible_!’  
  
He watched as they approached one of the people that had hounded him for so long and kicked his helmet away, revealing it as the Captain of the Royal Guards.  
  
Of course. Cassandra’s father. No wonder he’d shown him some measure of kindness. Varian watched as Rapunzel confronted him and then they left with the graphtych. Varian waited until they were gone and then he walked over to where the man was still kneeling in silent shame of having failed his job.  
  
“Now, _how_ could she have found out about it, huh?” He asked with a smirk. “You were watching me _so closely_ , after all.”  
  
“…Not closely _enough_.” The man slowly stood up and moved past him.  
  
Varian watched him go, then looked at the destroyed tower before he headed back to town.  
  
\--  
  
With the graphtych in Rapunzel’s possession, he was able to focus on something else – making that mood potion into a truth serum. He pulled his goggles over his eyes and got to work.  
  
The hardest part was finding someone to test it on. But, Rapunzel had hurt the ones that had been keeping such a close eye on him, and the new ones were less experienced. With his confidence renewed after succeeding in getting Rapunzel to take the graphtych, he took down one of the younger ones with a knockout bomb and then dragged him into his house, confining him to his bedroom with a goo bomb.   
  
Satisfied, he went to his lab and got his first attempt, which he made the guy take after he woke up by “nicely” giving him water.  
  
“It’s nothing personal. I just don’t like being confined.” He said as he set the cup down. “I figured you could help me, since you were going to be sticking around to watch me like some kind of creep.”  
  
“Help you?” The man frowned.  
  
“Oh, don’t worry.” Varian laughed a bit. “It’s nothing too serious. I just need you to answer a question.”  
  
“What? Uh…what question?” He raised an eyebrow.  
  
Varian ran his gloved hand along the helmet. “Why does the King not just have me killed?”  
  
“What? I don’t know, I just do my job.” The man said, though his glance to the side implied he was lying.  
  
‘Didn’t work, then.’ He thought. “Oh, that’s too bad.” He walked out of the room. “I’ll be back later.”  
  
“Hey, let me out! I’ll yell!”  
  
Varian tossed a knockout bomb over his shoulder at the guy and then shut the door. “On to the next attempt, then.” He said, heading back to his lab.  
  
It took three tries to get it right. The man struggled to not tell him, but finally gave in. The reason he was being kept alive was because King Fredric saw the potential in him, but wanted him broken down so he wasn’t dangerous. ‘Just as I thought, then.’ Varian thought with a sigh.  
  
An idea was starting to come to mind. He needed the Sundrop Flower, but didn’t know where it was. And his captive was apparently a new recruit and didn’t know. He’d have to get it to a guard that’d been working there for years, then. Might be a good idea to use it on others, too, so he can’t be easily pointed out. How to get it to them, though…  
  
Everyone in Corona had a sweet tooth.  
  
He left the man alone and ventured out with his basket again, ignoring the way Ruddiger pawed at him anxiously. He’d been acting nervous around him ever since he brought his captive home, but he'd worry about it later. He found a shop that had been mangled by black rocks and climbed in, his small body easily getting around the black rocks as he ventured in.  
  
“Come on…” He murmured, looking around the carnage.  
  
He finally found what he was looking for, various ingredients for baking chocolate-chip cookies. Easily mass-produced and delicious. He left the shop carefully and returned home, swapping his rubber gloves for baking gloves as he mixed up the batter and put in the truth serum, a sly smile on his face.  
  
While the cookies baked, he cleaned up his mess and then went over to check on his captive. He was struggling with the goo binding him and the cloth tied around his mouth to keep him silent but awake.  
  
Of course, the question of what he’d do with this guy when he was done with him was weighing heavily on him. He couldn’t let him go; he’d give the game away before Varian was ready for people to know it was him. He’d just have to keep him here.  
  
He left him alone and went to the lab to clean up there before he stopped to look at his father, now uncovered. He considered covering him up again, but decided not to and instead returned to the kitchen to wait for his cookies to finish.  
  
When they were finally done, he took them out and let them cool. After making sure they were completely done, he looked in at his captive and smiled. “Hey,” He walked over and untied his gag. “I feel kind of bad for, y’know, trapping you here. You didn’t deserve this; you didn’t do anything wrong.” He offered him a cookie. “How about something sweet?”  
  
“How do I know you didn’t poison it?” He snapped.  
  
Varian sighed. “Fine.” He stood up and turned away. “I’ll give it to someone else.”  
  
“W-Wait.” He faltered. Varian smiled darkly and then turned to him with a cheerful expression. “I-I’m sure you wouldn’t poison a cookie, you’re just a kid. You’re probably eating these yourself.”  
  
Varian offered it to him again and the man took a bite. “How does it taste?”  
  
“It’s good. Is this chocolate? Why is it purple though, how did you do that?” The man asked.  
  
“Do you know a way to sneak into the city of Corona?” Varian asked.  
  
“Oh, Yeah. You just go in by boat at night, no one will notice you going in. Especially since you’ve got dark hair and stuff, though that streak might stand out. Wait.” His eyes widened. “Did you—”  
  
“Thanks!” Varian grinned and reached over to tie the gag around his mouth again. Then he turned to go, tossing a knock-out bomb at him as he shut the door.  
  
He gathered up the rest of the cookies into a bag and put it in his alchemy bag before he grabbed his staff and turned to his father. “Don’t worry, dad. It won’t be much longer now.” He headed out, goo bombs at the ready if anyone tried to stop him as he headed for the island.  
  
The King thought he was dangerous.  
He had NO idea.  
  
End

**Author's Note:**

> Danger comes in small packages.


End file.
